Archive for the ‘Travel Essentials’ Category
What’s your idea of the perfect holiday? Relaxing on a hot beach with a glass of wine in your hand or going on a road trip on some of the most challenging roads in the world to the backdrop of stunning scenery?
It appears that a greater percentage of people would now actually prefer the road trip option; with the increasing popularity of such holidays being attributed to road trip movies such as Due Date and television programmes like Ewan McGregor’s ‘Long Way Round’ and Top Gear.
However, contrary to how it appears, McGregor and those like him on TV are not exactly exposed to the elements journeying alone. Similarly, they are not the ones who are being forced to take account of legal obligations such as arranging for car insurance policies to cover international travel in their vehicles. These are things which don’t seem to document very well for anyone planning on emulating such journeys.
We therefore list the top five travel essentials which it is vital to arrange before setting off on your travels:
5. Breakdown cover
Arranging for breakdown cover is a good idea for any motorist; but it is even more important if you are planning on taking your vehicle into foreign lands where you may not be able to locate the nearest garage or even be able to communicate with them as a result of not being fluent in the local language.
However, bare in mind that not all breakdown cover policies will agree to cover you in foreign lands. It may cost slightly more, but it is vital to ensure that you have a policy in place which agrees to attend to you in foreign countries and guarantees to cover you for the required number of days which you will be out of the country.
Ensure that you get the cheapest breakdown cover deal available by utilising price comparison services such as MoneySupermarket.com.
4. Car Insurance
Car insurance is another fiddly piece of paperwork (and expense) that you unfortunately have to sort out before setting off. Although it is now a legal requirement for all car owners to have an insurance policy in place; many of these will not agree to provide cover for international travel. This is a mistake that many road trippers mistakenly do not realise; leaving them as an unwitting law breaker.
It is therefore advised that you check the small print of your policy before travelling, ensuring that international cover is mentioned. If it is not, then this will almost certainly mean that it is not included. If this is the case then you can arrange for temporary international car insurance to be put in place for the duration of your travels for an additional fee.
3. Tyres
You might think that we have enough pot holes and poorly maintained road surfacing in our own country on the back of the freezing conditions that hit us last winter; but the weather is even more extreme in some other countries where road surfaces are often in a far poorer state than what is found here.
This will take its toll on your tyres, increasing the likelihood of punctures occurring. You should therefore make sure that you have either a spare tyre and/or a puncture repair kit with you at all times in case your tyres succumb to the inadequate surfacing.
2. First aid kit
Tyres aren’t the only things that are susceptible to the odd knock or cut on road trips. Make sure that you are carrying a first aid kit in case either you or one of your companions has an accident.
This should consist of plasters, bandages and anti-septic creams. Additionally, make sure that you are carrying any prescribed medications which are required on a daily basis as they will likely be difficult to source when abroad.
1. Mobile phone
Of course, the first aid kit will relatively ineffective if more serious injuries or health problems rear their head. You should therefore carry a mobile phone with you at all times that is capable of functioning in foreign countries. You can make sure of this by phoning your network provider or visiting one of their local stores before leaving home.
Failure to carry a phone would also render one of the biggest advantages of your breakdown cover policy void as you would be unable to phone for help when a failure occurs.
In addition to your phone, make sure that you are carrying the right equipment so that your phone can be charged up along the way. Otherwise you may as well be carrying a brick.
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